Communication
by angellwings
Summary: JONAS. In which there's a misunderstanding. No, this is not an episode of Three's Company. In this misunderstanding Stella walks out and Joe doesn't understand why. Joella. Based on the Kris Allen song "Written All Over My Face."


**A/N: **I was listening to Kris Allen's CD the other day (It's my current addiction) and his song "Written All Over My Face" came on. Joe and Stella immediately came to mind. So...I wrote this. I tried to do something different with the formatting. I might have failed, haha. I'm not sure. Anyway, ENJOY!

**Communication**

By angellwings

_...**I** always played you songs to say what I never could._

_Other people say it better, better than I would,_

_But for every word left unsaid I thought you **understood**..._

He didn't understand this. Why had she said no? He had sworn they were in the same place. Sure, he'd never explicitly expressed this to her, but he had thought—He sighed at his incomplete thought. He didn't need to finish it. He'd had this same thought so many times. The bottom line was that he had asked Stella out on a date, and she had said no. She said no! Maybe he had been wrong this whole time. Maybe Stella had never really felt anything for him. But all her smiles and blushes—could he have imagined those? Could he have really fabricated this whole thing in his head?

He groaned angrily, and knocked over a nearby stool. This was not how things were supposed to go. He and Stella were supposed to be a John Hughes movie. They were supposed to be a story full of tension, misunderstandings, and a happy ending. They had been so close. Or at least he thought they had been. Even if he'd never clearly stated how he felt even _he_ knew that he had been obvious. His jealousy had taken hold far too many times for her not to at least _suspect_ that he had feelings for her.

Why had she stormed out? Why had she just left him in this confusion?

_...**It** was easier to kiss you than to tell you how I feel,_

_Oh and I don't want to lose you,_

_But you can't see that through your** tears**..._

Stella had always thought she'd have to actually date Joe before she could hurt like this. But she was wrong. She angrily wiped her we cheeks with the hand that wasn't violently texting. Yes she could text with one hand. She _was_ Stella after all. She sniffled and then brought her other hand to the phone and sped up the process of texting Macy. Macy asked where she was after receiving Stella's frantic and heartbreaking text. Stella took a deep shaky breath and responded.

"_Joe's driveway."_

"_O.O you haven't left yet?" _

"_Macy, I can't see to drive."_

"…_you're crying aren't you?" _

"_*sigh* Yes, I look like a raccoon."_

"_Stell, I don't think you looking like a raccoon is the biggest concern right now. Do you need a girls night? What did he do?"_

"_He didn't do anything. Well, he did, but he didn't mean to."_

"_What did he DO, Stell?" _

"_He asked me out." _

"_O.o I'm not seeing the problem yet." _

"_It's not WHAT he did. It's how he did it."_

"_Explain, plz?"_

"_He kissed me, and then choked out the question like it pained him and then he APOLOGIZED. He apologized! That's practically taking it all BACK!" _

"_*sigh* Did he apologize like he shouldn't have done it or like he wished he could articulate what he wanted more clearly?"_

"_I…um, I don't really know." _

"_Okay, look, why don't you come over and we'll talk it out. Can you drive or should I come and get you?" _

"…_Macy, I left my purse inside." _

"_O.O oh boy." _

"_Should I go get it?" _

"_If you don't you'll have to sleep in the Lucas's driveway all night." _

"_If I did that would you bring me food?" _

"_Absolutely not, do I look like a waitress?"_

"…_if you don't hear from me in about twenty minutes call the police." _

"…_why?" _

"_Because I've most likely murdered a Lucas."_

Stella's hands shook as she opened the car door and headed up the front steps. She tried her best to wipe the mascara away and conceal the tears she had shed. She reached forward and rang the bell. She rarely ever rang the bell. For some reason she felt required to do it now.

_...**You're** saying that I hurt you,_

_But I had no **idea**..._

The door jerked open and an angry, red eyed Joe answered the door, "What?"

Stella flinched, and couldn't help but think that she maybe deserved that. She hadn't even answered him. She had just turned and walked away.

"I—I left my purse."

Joe noticed the gray tracks on her cheeks and the smears around her eyes. She had been crying. His body language relaxed slightly and he sighed sadly. When he spoke next his tone had softened considerably, "Come on in. Did you leave it by the TV in the loft?"

She nodded mutely. She didn't trust her voice.

"I'll get it for you. Just wait a minute."

Joe huffed and climbed up the stairs. He quickly found Stella's purse and returned to the living room where Stella stood awkwardly. It bothered him to see her looking so uncomfortable in the Firehouse. Usually everything was so easy and natural. He reached forward to hand her the purse but pulled back at the last minute.

"Why did you run?" He asked desperately. "Why didn't you answer?"

Her sad expression turned fiery very quickly and she glared at him, "You took it back! And it sounded like you didn't even really _want_ to ask. Did you expect that _not_ to hurt me?"

His eyes widened in shock, "I didn't take it back!"

"Yes you did!"

"_When_ did I take it back?"

"You apologized!"

_...**Just** cause you say it's so doesn't make it so,_

_Saying I don't show what I'm feeling for **you**..._

"I _apologized_ for stuttering and sounding like an idiot! NOT for kissing you or asking you out. That's not something I would apologize for…unless that offended you."

Silence stretched out as Stella took that in, but Joe misunderstood.

"…did it offend you?"

"Why would that offend me?" She asked with a stange glance at Joe.

He shrugged, "I've heard some girls get offended when you kiss them out of no where. I thought I'd ask just in case."

"I've never been offended when you've kissed me before," Stella told him. "Why would I start now?"

Joe smirked a little at that response, "Good question."

"So, you asked me out…and you _didn't_ take it back?" Stella asked suddenly.

"Didn't we already establish that?"

She huffed in frustration, "Humor me."

"No, Stella, I did not take it back."

_...**There's** no doubt when it's written all over my **face**..._

Stella watched him as he answered. He looked aggravated, and she didn't know why.

"What's wrong?"

He sighed, "Stella, nothing's wrong. I just—I don't understand. Did you even look at my face earlier when I was talking to you? Or did you just take my words out of that context?"

She had no idea how to answer that.

"I mean, I understand that actually hearing the words makes things seem more concrete, but, Stella, you know me. A good deal of how I communicate is through actions and expressions. Please tell me that you know that?"

Stella swallowed and sighed, "I know that, but…the absence of words gives a girl certain insecurities. Girls are talkers by nature, Joe. Me, especially."

_...**What** you want me to say that I don't say?_

_What you want when it's written all over my **face?**..._

He nodded and sighed, "So, what do you want to hear me say?"

She chuckled, "It's not the same if I tell you what to say, Joseph."

"But I'm not good at the saying what I feel thing. It's get all jumbled and just doesn't ever come out the way I intend for it to," Joe sighed.

"Okay, what if we make a deal?" Stella asked.

"What kind of a deal?"

"I promise to always look you in the face when you tell me something important as long as you always promise to _try_ to tell me the important things," Stella suggested. "That way no matter how mixed up your words are I'll be able to see what's written all over that impossibly cute face of yours."

He smiled at her and stepped closer, "So, we'll hopefully have less misunderstandings like these?"

Stella nodded, "That's the dream."

"And this means you'll go on a date with me?"

Stella closed the distance between them and placed a soft gentle kiss on Joe's lips. She pulled away and smiled warmly at him, "Can you read _my_ face, Joe?"

His eyes opened and he took in a slow breath, "I'm seeing a yes. Am I right?"

Stella chuckled and nodded, "That's a yes."

_...**There's** nothing wrong but communication._

_It's just a problem of our own creation._

_Sometimes love gets lost in **translation**..._


End file.
